Wharf construction.



No. 646,553. Patented Apr. 3, |900. H. C. HOLMES.

WHABF CONSTBUCTIUN.

(Application mea nec. `21, 1899.)

(No Model.)

the third five feet below said base.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOVARD C. HOLMES, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CARL UHLIG, OF SAME PLACE.

WHARF CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 646,553, dated April 3, 1900.

Application filed December 21,1899. Serial No.741,l05. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom, it maag/concern.- I

Be it known that I, HOWARD C. HOLMES, a citizen of the United States, residing in' the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Wharf Constructions; andI hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact de-v scription of the same. f 'y My invention relates toy improvement-s in the construction of wharves, and like struc-y tures -andits objects are tovprovide a stronger and more permanent foundation than can be had by the use of single piles as usually driven and to provide a meansfor protecting the wharf .from the shocks caused byv vessels or other lio'atingobj'ects striking'against it.

'It consists in novel details of construction,

which will be more fully explainedby'reference to the accompanying drawings', in which- Figure l is a vertical section through one of the cylinders. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same on line g/ 1y of Fig.'l. Fig. 3

shows a corner vof the finished wharf with wooden superstructure and fender. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing concrete flooring. Fig. 5 is a plan view of fenderfpiles and spring.,

In the usual ,construction of wharves andlike structures itis customary to drive piles made of wood or iron singly in'lines, which piles may be variously protected inv their isolatedcondition, and upon the foundation thus formed is iixed a superstructure of caps with stringers and a covering which forms the floor of the wharf. In my invention I first drive piles A, of suitable length, in clusters of three, which are driven asclosely together as possible, and'these clusters of piles are suitably spaced and driven in the proper lines toproduce the required length and breadth of the finished structure. As the expense of piles, especially when long, is very considerable, I drive these piles to different depths, and thus economize on the length of the piles. The first pile may be driven, for instance, with its top fifteen feet below the city-base or wharf-level. The next will be driven-tenfcet below, and I do not limit myself yto these particular differences; but the object is to drive the piles so that the the upper ends are at dierent levels below the city-base. lThis hasftwo advantagesfirst, I am enabled to use shorter piles, of which the upper ends are at successively-lower levels,and,secondly, the bond which is formed by the surrounding structure, as hereinafter described, will be more solid and complete. These piles being 4driven as shownat A, the clusters of piles are then surrounded by cylinders 2, which may be made of iron, steel,

' or of wooden staves, bound together by hoops,

so as to provide an interior diametersufliciently larger than that of the clusters of piles to receivethe proper filling of concrete or equivalent protective and strengthening material. Thus iffthe piles Aare fourteeninches lin diameter the interior diameter of the inclosing cylinders may be approximately four feet. These cylinders are made of suiiicient length to enable them to'be sunk around the clusters of piles, so that the latter are .essentially'in the middle of the cylinders. The mud is then pumped or otherwiseremoved from the interior of the cylinders until the bottom is at a ldepth of at least two feet below the surface of the mud on the outside. Burlap bags 3 are then filled to about half their capacity with properly-mixed concrete made with broken stone or cement and thebags sewed up. Before placing thebags in the cylinders cement is put into :the water in the-cylinders, they having'b'een pumped out, and this cement is thoroughly mixed with thewater which is left in the cylinders. The partially-filled sacks are then introduced and sufficient additional quantities of cement are used during the process to assure the completev filling of the voids between the sacks. The sacks 3 are tloroughly tamped, and after the filling is brought to the proper height it is allowed yto stand sufliciently long to set, as forty-'eight hours. The remainder of the lcylinders is then filled with loose concrete, the cylinders being properly stayed and kept in position, and the concrete is filled into the cylinders, inclosing and covering the tops of the piles up to the top of the cylinder, as shown at 4.

As a further bond and strengthener of the structure, I embed in the concrete at a point intermediate between the piles and the inner peripheries of the cylinders some form of eX- panded metal, wire screen, or other metal IOO structure 5 into and through which the con'- crete may pass, so that this structure will be thoroughly embedded within the concrete. This surrounding cylinder of open mesh metal will preferably lie about three or four inches from the outer periphery of the concrete cylinder which has been built up within the outer inclosing cylinder. The concrete thus ills into the interstices between the piles and covers the top of the two lowermost, respectively, as the filling proceeds, thus in-v creasing the body of concrete in proportion as the pile-bodies are diminished by reason of one being shorter than the other, and the filling is finally continued above the top of the uppermost pile, as stated. This construction provides for strong and well-protected supports for the wharf and overcomes the objection to the use of single piles, which it is not practicable to coat after they have been driven, and no previously-applied coating will stand the shocks of driving piles. Whenever the outer inclosing cylinders are destroyed, `the body of concrete which remains is of suicient size to thoroughly protect the piles within, and it cannot be cracked or broken by any of the ordinary forces or strains to which the wharf is subjected. This portion of the structure being completed, caps 6 are fixed upon the top after it is properly leveled, and stringers 7 arelaid across these caps. The wharf-planking 8 is then laid upon the stringers.

It will be manifest that the Iioor structure of the wharf may also be made by the use of steel I-beams embedded in or coated with concrete and a floor-surface made of concrete of sufiicient thickness, with a final top coating of asphaltum or similar surfacing material.

In order to protect the structure th us formed from the strains which are caused by vessels striking heavily against the wharf and other similar actions, fender piles 9 are driven around the outside of the wharf and at some distance away from it, say 12 inches, more or less. Timbers or ribbing lO are bolted to these fender-piles below the wharf structure, and similar timbers are bolted to the fenderpiles above the floor or surface of the wharf, these timbers being independent of the wharf and movable with relation thereto in unison with`any movements which maybe imparted to the fender-piles. These upper connecting-timbers serve in the place of the chocks or guardtimbers,which are usuallybolted directly upon the top of the iioor-plan ks of the wharf around the edges thereof; but in the present case, being connected with the fender-piles and independent of the wharf, they are movable over the latter for such short movements as may be imparted to them and their supportingpiles whenever vessels strike against the fenders. In order to increase the elasticity of this fender structure, heavy coiled or equivalent springs 11 are fixed between the fenderpiles and the .wharf structure, so that they will be compressed by pressure against the tenders and will be extended whenever the pressure is released, thus adding their elasticity to that of the fender-piles to return the surrounding structure to its normal position after pressure upon it has been relieved. These springs may be kept in place by long bolts passing through the piles and through the stringers or some suitable portion of the wharf structure, and it will be manifest -that by reason of the connection of this surrounding fender structure any pressure upon one part of it will be to a great extent communi-I cated so as to be resisted by all portions and the wharf thoroughly protected from injuri-y ous pressure and shocks.

While the cylinders which inclose the piles and concrete may be of any convenient material, I prefer to make them of heavy wooden staves hooped or bound together, because the skin friction of this large wood surface embedded in the mud adds greatly to its ability to support the wharf structure.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isf l. In a wharf or like structure,supports consisting of piles of different lengths and driven.

in clusters whereby their upper ends are at different distances below the wharf-level, inclosing cylinders tting over each cluster and sunk into the mud and a iilling of concrete intermediate between the cylinders and the piles and covering the heads of the latter.

2. Inawharforlikestructure,supportsconsisting of piles driven with their upper ends at different distances below the wharf-level, inclosing cylinders of larger interior diameter than the circumference of the clusters, a filling of concrete intermediate between the piles and the interior of the cylinders, and a structure of expanded metal or like mesh embedded in the concrete and surrounding the piles.

3. In a wharf or like structure,supports consisting of piles driven in clusters with an exterior inclosing cylinder extending from below the mud to a point above the tops of the piles,a foundation formed of concrete inclosed in bags and tamped into the bottom of the cylinders, a iilling of concrete extending from 'said foundation upwardly to a point above the tops of the piles and within the exterior cylinders and a bond of expanded metal or like mesh embedded in theconcrete.

4. In a wharf or like structure, a support consisting of piles of different lengths driven in clusters, whereby their upper ends are at IIO diderent distances below the wharf-level, an

exterior cylinder extending from the mud to a point above the piles, a body of concrete filled into the cylinders and inclosing and covering the piles, and caps, stringers and floor-l ing of the wharf supported upon the pillars thus formed.

5. In a wharf or like structure, pillars or supports formed of piles driven in clusters, a surrounding body of concrete and exterior inclosing cylinders, caps, stringers and flooring fsupported thereon, fender-piles driven att-a distance outside of the Wharf-line and springs interposed between the upper ends of said piles and the wharf.

6. In combination with :L Wharf of a. line of fender-piles driven exterior to and at a. distance from the edge of the wharf ribs or timbers bolted to and connecting said fenderpiles above and belo'w the wharf and independent thereof, and springs intermediate between the fender-piles and the edge of the Wharf substantially 'as described.

7. yIn a wharf or like structure,supports consisting of piles of different lengths driven in clusters whereby their upper ends are at dif- In Witness whereof l have hereunto set my 2 5 hand.

HOWARD C. HOLMES. Witnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, Jnssm C. BRODIE. 

